'99 LS Build
 

Figured I'd quit lurking and start a build thread. I picked up a 130k mile 99 NB with a blown head gasket for $1500 at the beginning of the year. Her body is in great shape but the interior was pretty shot. I think the car sat uncovered with a leaky top before the PO put a brand new one on before selling it.

Sold my baby to get some positive cash flow since I knew I'd need it :eek4:
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1442846335

I've recouped the money I paid for the car by selling the new top, motor/trans combo and the torsen it had. But I think the money coming in was allergic to my wallet and ended up at Summit for fuel parts and building a rear end kit.

The only pic I have before it got totally stripped. Quickly realizing my garage is shrinking...anyone need a mattress? :p
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1442846335

The build has been slow going as Im trying to find as many used parts as possible. I came across a guy selling a boss rear end kit with stage 3 axles and overhauled cobra diff all with zero miles. It came on an NA subframe with crap welds so I transferred all the parts to the NB frame. Since I had all the bushings out I installed zerk fittings and put it all back together.

Fully assembled subframe ready to be bolted in once I apply some undercoating to the bottom of the car.
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1442846335

Since I had the rear subframe out I tackled the fuel line routing. After a lot of research on braided vs hard line, I decided on hard lines. This was the first time I've ever bent any type of line and it took me quite a few tries to get the hang of it. Cursing and a punching bag helped. :retard: I'm waiting to get the engine fitted before i run the line to the engine bay.

AN fittings are man porn.
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1442846335

I installed a bulkhead fitting in the bracket that the tank bolts into to make running the feed line to the engine a little easier when Im ready to.
https://www.v8miata.net/attachment.p...ine=1442846335

It feels good to be finally getting somewhere with it. Next up will be getting the V8R front subframe and start the trans tunnel widening.

Cheers,
Dave

Wow that is one well done build you have cooking there! I love the fuel set up and never thought about putting the filter there. So with no soft top are you going hard top or is this just going to be a track car or something?

Great build thread - subscribed!

Nice! I can't wait to start tearing into mine.

+1, very nice. :bowdown:

Thanks guys, its definitely going to be a fair weather machine. I do like the look of a hardtop but that will be something I pick up much later.

With the fuel system finished and the rear subframe installed, I decided to wait until the new year to buy any more parts. So I figured I'd get started on the dash.

Pulled the dash bar out and removed all the unnecessary brackets then bolted back in to mark where to trim the dash.
Attachment 6900

Dash reinstalled after trimming
Attachment 6901


I still havnt decided what to do with the center support section, whether to leave it or remove and weld in my own support. I'll probably wait until I determine where the switch panel and smaller gauges are going.

Cheers and Happy Holidays fellas!

Well the build just got serious! :yippee:

[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...9_195203-1.jpg[/IMG]

Super stoked as I found this for an incredible deal locally from a guy who's project tanked. Its turnkey with pcm, harness and dbw pedal.

Ordering the V8R subframe next month...

Wow that is BEAUTIFUL! Congrats on the great find!

LS2? and nice fuel lines! anymore details on those? they look really killer and I like that Idea better than soft lines.

Its the crate 480hp LS3 :skid:

The fuel lines are 3/8 stainless using 6an fittings. I decided on hard lines for their durability. After searching many forums, some people using braided started smelling fuel in the cabin after xx amount of miles. That scared me enough not to go that route. Plus, hard lines are much cheaper per foot but you do have to buy the bender and flange tool. 3/8 line is stout but the Home depot bender works well putting one handle in a vice and using a pipe for leverage.
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...231_083002.jpg[/IMG]

The Ridgid tool works great although it isnt cheap. Im hoping to be able to use it for another job to justify the cost.
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...231_081407.jpg[/IMG]

SupaDupaSteve if youre near Orlando youre welcome to use my bender and flare tool.

Cheers
Dave

Not a very fun motor. I think you'll be disappointed. :x:

If it was me and the motor was just sitting there easy to get to, I'd drop in the bigger cam (ASA or similar) now. The valve train is the same for the 480 and 525. Might as well go big! :drama:

I've got a bender and flare tool, but it's a 45* for brake lines. Wonder if it would work... Yeah, I'm not too far from orlando, in Vero Beach.

Ha, now that it sits in my garage staring at me I just want to get it in the car. I was wondering if they upgraded the rockers with the hot cam. Sounds like a project once I get up and running. :loser:

No, AN fittings need the 37° flare.

ah, makes sense. I've never messed with AN stuff really.

Got my door cards mocked up today. I picked up some NA upper door pads yesterday. Besides being a nice custom touch Im hoping the extra room width wise will give me more seat options.

[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...231_181728.jpg[/IMG]

Im still undecided on the material to use, leaning toward cintra panels covered with the 3m carbon fiber di-noc. Any other recommendations?

Happy New Years Eve!!

Since your car is green, something like this could be kind of cool: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1099883...nalized-fleeceThe Hulk!

Thats good lookin out tbone, car wont be green for long though. Not sure I could live with that print anyway...

So I decided to go plain jane. Turned out pretty good for my first upholstery gig. I might put door pulls in later but kinda diggin it the way it is.

Materials used:
3mm Sintra PVC panel
Foam backing, spray glued to panel
Polyester suede stretched and stapled over backing
New nylon push rivets (OEM from Grainger)

[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...107_163655.jpg[/IMG]

that came out great!

Wow I like that a whole lot and it's definitely going on my to do before Atlanta list. Could you post up details on the parts? I found some of the PVC on the web but none of it big enough and can't figure out the rivets either.

I was thinking about tbones print idea and wonder if covering one of them with an American flag would be kind of cool. Or would that be sacrilege?

Jim,

The PVC I picked up at a large sign shop and screening warehouse. Id look around your area for something similar.

I went to Joann's fabric for the suede and padding. You could spend hours in there looking at different prints and materials. I almost went with vinyl that had a neat texture to it but finally decided on the polyester suede. The good thing about the poly is that it shouldnt fade in the sunlight.

The nylon push rivet part number from Grainger is 5ZLW8, ~12 bucks for a pack of 25. I picked up in store as they wanted $10 shipping. They are stock specs for miata interior pieces that use an 8mm hole. They went in great yesterday but today I went out to look at the doors and a couple had popped out. They have an 18mm depth which seems to be a tad too short for a 3mm PVC panel, padded and covered. I would try to find a longer one, I recall seeing one that had a 20mm depth on Grainger that might work better.

The hardest part of the job after sourcing out the NA upper bumper piece was making the template and lining up all the screw holes that the NA piece has that will screw into the new panel. Just takes lots of marking, fitting and confirming hole placements. I used cardboard as a template and it worked great.

Another thing to note is I had to repair about 80% of the screw studs in the NA bumper piece. And the remaining 20% that were not broken broke by the time I was finished mocking them up multiple times to confirm fitment.
I fixed the busted studs by cutting 3/8 clear tubing into 1/2 sections and pushing over what was left of the broken stud. Then used 2 part epoxy and filled the clear tubing full to the top. Once dried, use a dremel to cut down to right height, drill and tap, making this a stronger than factory stud. I also used medium loctite on the screws on final assembly. The screws on the backside of my old NB door panel worked great as replacements as the NA panels I got came sans hardware.

I used Loctite brand spray adhesive, comes in a blue can from Lowes, to adhere the padding to the door panel to help hold it down when stretching the suede around and stapling to the back. I did not use adhesive on the suede.

Before final install I stuck adhesive backed felt on the inside of the door at the top near the quarter window where the NA bumper piece was a little squeeky. Got this at Joann's as well, in 12" squares.

Hope this helps, pm me if you need any pics as I can remove the panels if need be.

No need to pull them this is perfect. THANK YOU!!

Little update, been traveling a lot for work but able to do a little here and there....

Switched out the plastic rivets on the door panels (ended up being too short) and went bling. Aluminum hardware threaded into blind rivets in the door. They hold the panel on nice and tight.
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...115_183920.jpg[/IMG]
Also ordered the V8R subframe kit, comes in first week in February. Hoping to have the motor fitted in by March.

Made a bit of progress lately. Ive been traveling for work for most of the last month but been able to squeeze in some time on the car.

The V8R kit came in this week. Last thing I did on the car was cut out the interior trans tunnel/firewall supports so today I cut out the engine bay gussets. Messy gig, as a grinder was the only thing I had to do the job. Took me about 3 hrs to cut them out along with wire wheeling all factory seam sealer off the firewall and shock tower areas.
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...206_171621.jpg[/IMG]

When I get back from work next week I'll make the cuts and get to whackin that tunnel open.

As I was working on the car today my MGW shifter got delivered. This thing is as nice as everyone said, very well built. Since I bought the t56 with no shifter I havnt been able to confirm that it shifted into all the gears. I mounted the MGW and was very relieved that it felt good. The shifter feels very crisp too, cant wait till Im running through them gears!
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...206_170905.jpg[/IMG]

hi. checking in from orlando

i had both MGW and Pro 5.0 in 2 different cars, i decided on the pro 5.0 this time. personal pref.

It was a choice between the two and I went with the majority vote. Wish I could drive both to compare them. What did you like better about it?

If you ever need help or something, feel free to hit me up. Im in Apopka.

i do like your fuel line ;) , i am all the way out the east side of town ( ucf )

i am still at the very beginning stage of building (all i have is an LS1 +t56)

i am debating if i should build a LS1 FC rx7 instead..... my buddy is giving me a shell for next to nothing

I once owned an FC, was a fun car. Nothin like a rotary! Well good luck deciding, I say stick with the roadster :anim_19:

Got my accessories wrapped up, turned out great. Ive gotta give some props to CBM for their alternator bracket as it even came with the spacer for the idler pulley.

[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...207_132349.jpg[/IMG]

Parts:

CBM Alternator Bracket
CBM MOTORSPORTS CORVETTE CONVERSION BILLET ALTERNATOR BRACKET

Idler pulley

Belt Tensioner
2005-2013 Chevrolet Corvette Accessory Belt Tensioner - Cooling System - AC Delco, Accessory Drive, Serpentine 05-13 Corvette Accessory Belt Tensioner - 18301-05323095 - PartsGeek

Gates Micro-V Belt (55 1/4")


Cheers

Good info! What alternator and water pump is that?

Alternator is an F body unit, told the NAPA dude I needed one for a 2002 camaro 5.7 to fit the CBM bracket.

Water pump is oem corvette style, came bolted on from GM.

Awesome. I'll probably go with that bracket rather than getting my f body bracket machined down.

I made up my mind to go with the miata. Now I need to find a cheap shell.
Will probably need help from u making those fuel lines. My wife hates the fume

Good choice! Hit me up when youre ready!

Finally was able to get a bunch of work done.

I edited my previous post with the correct belt size, should anyone want to run without power steering. Im going to give it a shot even though a lot of people have tried it and eventually switched back. We'll see...

I got the V8R oil pan installed. Its definitely not a simple bolt on affair which is ok since I had researched others installs of it and was expecting it. But for the money though it seems like it should've fit a bit better. For one, the valley tray (Vette LS3) needed surgery. I ended up cutting about a 3" square away to clear the low profile end of the pan. Also the pick up tube sits right where the dipstick shoots into the pan. Again, not a huge deal but it adds to the list. Lastly, I ended up shimming the pick up tube to sit 1/4" off the bottom of the pan. Out of the box it sat at just over 3/8" which might have been ok but with the known lack of oiling issues the LS3 is notorious for I wanted it to be closer than farther. I should have taken pics but I didn't.

On a positive note, the V8R pan is quite a bit lighter than the OEM unit. I didn't weigh them but I'd say its a couple pounds leaner. It saves much of this weight by not having the threaded holes for the bellhousing like the OEM unit has.

Mounted up the Mcleod clutch as well. Pretty straight forward, no issues. This is the first brand new clutch into any vehicle I've owned. Its definitely a nice piece and thorough intstructions make it an easy install. Even came with ARP pressure plate bolts.

Heres a pic installing the flywheel with my diy flexplate holder. ;)
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...223_190609.jpg[/IMG]

Cut and beat the firewall last night, going to throw the motor in today and see if I was angry enough. :vash:

Cheers

Are u not running AC at all
What wiring harness are u going with,and ECM?

No a/c. Using a GM controller kit w/ E67 ecu.

Like a glove!

[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...227_185608.jpg[/IMG]

Got the engine bay and trans tunnel all sealed up and primed. Hoping to finish the fuel and brake lines this week.
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...305_130546.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...308_065123.jpg[/IMG]

Very nice! jealous of your progress. lol

Got the pedal mounted. Its tight against the trans tunnel and gusset, not sure if it will clear with carpet and insulation. :dunno: We'll see!
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...310_185818.jpg[/IMG]

Is there a template on how u mount it?
Or u kinda sit there and testing position

I took measurements off the miata pedal and went from there. Moved the gas pedal about a 1/2" closer to the brake pedal to clear the trans tunnel. Right now the mounting plate is just bolted to the mazda bracket. Once I get the car going and confirm the placement works I'll weld it in permanently.

I found you don't have to widen the tunnel near as far as the FM book says you do. When I ran into the gas pedal issue I double checked the bell housing clearance and took about have the widening back out of the tunnel so the pedal would clear in it's stock location. But mine is an NA drive by cable so it might be different.

You might want to test fit your steering column before you weld the pedal bracket.

Looks really good Dave!

I too noticed FM's measurements were too wide on the drivers side. I wonder how those guys get the gusset back in with carpet and have enough room for the pedal. But I must say reading your blog definitely helped me not go too far with it! ;)

Lizard Skinned the chassis yesterday. Besides all the prep needed to shoot this stuff it went on pretty easy. I used both the sound control and heat formulas so hopefully the cabin will stay quiet and cool.
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...321_212834.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...321_212936.jpg[/IMG]

Im happy that now I can start reassembling and making this look like a car again.

Also got the fuel line ran to engine. I really hope these AN fittings dont leak. So far, this has been the toughest part of the project for me. Getting the hard line routed right, numerous times bending, fitting, rebending.
I went with Pegasus ptfe braided line and fittings for the engine bay. I liked their fittings as they matched the color scheme Im going for and they were easy to put together.
[IMG]http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q...317_192213.jpg[/IMG]

u just brush on the lizard skin right ?

thats some good progress
i really need to step up my game

They dont encourage brushing or rolling, I used a spray gun.

Wow that is REALLY nice looking! That is one fine build you have working there.